Protective carton



Aug. 21, 1962 H. v. BOLDING PROTECTIVE CARTON Filed Aug. 18, 1959INVENTOR. HUBERT V. BOLDING BY awwfifiwm his ATTORNEYS 3,050,231PROTECTIVE CARTON Hubert V. Bolding, Clarksville, Ind., assignor toStandard Packaging Corporation, New York, N.Y., a corporation ofVirginia Filed Aug. 18, 1959, Ser. No. 834,590 8 Claims. (Cl. 22939)This invention relates to protective cartons for packaging fragilearticles, such as electronic tubes, transistors, rectifiers and otherelectrical devices. In particular, this invention is directed to acollapsible shock-proof carton of that type having an inner expandible,cushioning cell or enclosure which can accommodate equipment therein ofdiiferent sizes.

Collapsible cartons having built-in cushioning walls have come intowidespread use for packaging electronic equipment. Generally speaking,these cartons must be custom made for the size equipment which they areintended to retain; otherwise, the protection afforded by the built-incushioning walls will be diminished or perhaps altogether lost. Thisrequires manufacturers of electronic equipment to keep on hand cartonsof a great many different sizes. Moreover, conventional cartons of thistype have been of relatively complex construction, particularly in thatthey embody a substantial number of panels and glued areas which, inturn, complicate and increase the cost of manufacture.

The principal object of the present invention is to provide acollapsible carton of simplified construction for fragile equipment.

Another important object of the present invention is to provide acollapsible carton of that general organization which is capable ofbeing used for packaging equipment of different siz%.

These objects are achieved in the carton of the present invention. byincorporating therein an expandable cushioning cell or enclosure whichis formed integrally with the external walls of the carton. Theexpandable cushioning enclosure accommodates equipment which may vary insize over an appreciable range while still affording protection to theequipment against damaging shocks. Further, the construction of thecarton is greatly simplified by the fact that it is made from a blankhaving a minimum number of folds and necessitating but one gluingoperation.

The carton of the instant invention is rectangular in crosssectionhaving an interior cushioning enclosure or cell, also rectangular incross-section, with one wall or panel thereof angularly disposed to forma wide loading end and a narrow opposite end. The narrow rectangular endof the cushioning cell is expandable, so that the walls of the interiorcell are able to protectively hold in place articles of a variety ofdifferent sizes and shapes. Moreover, the angularl'y disposed wall isprovided with one or more spaced-apart slits which form flap-like seatsand grips for engaging one end of the article inserted in the cushioningcell of the carton so that it will not be displaced toward the loadingend during handling.

For a complete understanding of the present invention, reference shouldbe made to the detailed description which follows and to theaccompanying drawing wherein:

FIGURE 1 is a view of the inside face of the blank from from which thecarton of the present invention is formed;

FIGURES 2A through 2D are sectional views illustrating the carton of thepresent invention at various stages of construction;

FIGURE 3 is a view of the loading end of the completed carton; and

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FIGURE 4 is a perspective view of the completed carton.

The cut-and-scored blank from which the collapsible carton of thepresent invention is formed is illustrated in FIGURE 1.. The blank is asingle integral sheet of flexible material, such as cardboard, having aseries of four successive outer wall panels 10, 11, 12 and 13, separatedby parallel score or fold lines 14, 15 and 16. A series of fivesuccessive inner panels 18, 19, 20, 21 and 22, defined by the scorelines 23, 24, 25 and 26, depend from wall panel 13 and are separatedtherefrom by the score line 17. The score lines 24 and 25 which defineopposite edges of the panel 20 are parallel; also, the score line 26 andthe edge of the blank which define opposite edges of the panel 22 areparallel. The score lines 23 and 24 which define the panel 19 extend atan angle to each other; similarly, the score lines 25 and 26 whichdefine the panel 21 extend at an angle to each other, the angle beingsubstantially equal to the angle defined by the score lines 23 and 24.

The panels 20 and 22 are each provided with a series of V-shaped slitswhich are spaced apart at substantially equal intervals. These V-shapedslits are adjacent the wider ends of the panels 19 and 21. Also, arecess a defined by tapering edges of the panels 18 and 2t} and an edgeof the panel 19 is formed in the lower edge of the blank.

Opposite ends of the panels 19 and 12 are provided with flaps 28 whichare connected to their respective panels by fold or score lines 2?. Oneend of the panel 11 is provided with an end closure 30 connected theretoby a fold or score line 31. Also, the opposite end of the panel 13 isprovided with an end closure 32 connected thereto by fold or score line33.

The procedure followed in constructing the carton of the presentinvention is illustrated in FIGURES 2A to 2D, inclusive. First, thepanels 21 and 22 are folded along the score line 25 so as to overlie thepanels 19 and 20, as shown in FIGURE 2A. Next, as shown in FIGURE 2B,the panels 19 and 20 are folded along the score line 18 causing thepanels 21 and 22 to overlie the panels 13 and 18. The resultant triplelayer is then folded along the score line 16 causing the panels 18 and13 to overlie the panels 11 and 12, as shown in FIGURE 2C. Finally, theinner glued surface of the panel 10 is then folded along the score line14 into face-to-face contact with the outer surface of the panel 18, asshown in FIGURE 2D. Pressure is applied to the outer surface of thepanel 10 to cause the glued panel to adhere to the panel 18, thuscompleting the construction of the carton.

In constructing the collapsed carton in the manner described above, itis apparent that the operation involves but three folding operations andone gluing operation. This represents a substantial simplification inconstruction in contrast to protective cartons heretofore in use.

The carton can be readily erected from its collapsed condition bygrasping and squeezing the carton at the edges 14 and 16. The partiallyerected carton is shown in FIGURE 2D. In its erected condition shown inFIG- URE 4, the carton is characterized by four outer walls or panels10, 11, 12 and 13, and an inner cell or enclosure defined by the panels19, 20, 21 and 22. Both the carton and the inner cell are of rectangularcross-section. However, because of the angular disposition of the panel20, the loading end of the carton (that is, the upper end as shown inFIGURE 4) is wider than the opposite end. In fact, since the edges ofthe panels 19 to 22, inclusive, at the loading end are substantiallyequal in length to the corresponding edges of the respective panels 10,11, 12 and 13, the upper end of the inner cell is of virtually equalcross-sectional area to the carton. The cross-sectional area of theinner cell at the opposite end, however,

is but a fraction of the cross-sectional area of the carton.

When an article such as an electronic tube, transistor, rectifier, orthe like, is placed into the inner cell of the carton from the loadingend thereof, it is apparent that the lower end of the inner cell iscapable of deforming from its rectangular shape so as to take on a shapesubstantially complementary to the shape of the article. In addition,because of the fact that only the panels and 18 are glued together, thelower end of the inner cell is capable of expanding to a larger totalcross-sectional area, this expansion, of course, being limited by theouter dimensions of the carton. The recess a facilitates this expansionby eliminating the two lower corners of the inner cell which conceivablywould encounter resistance to displacement. In the course of thisexpansion, the wall 22 of the inner cell is displaced somewhat from theadjacent wall of the outer cell. The article will ultimately reach afinal position in which its lower end is snugly received in the lowerend of the expanded cell and the opposite end is seated upon edges ofcorresponding slits 27 of the walls 20 and 22 with the flap-likeformations above the slits gripping the article and preventing itsdisplacement toward the loading end of the carton. In electrical deviceswhich carry their own leads or contacts, it is possible to select aslightly over-size carton which will provide adequate space for theleads or contacts at the upper or loading edge. It is apparent, however,that leads or contacts may also be accommodated at the opposite end ofthe carton.

The invention has been shown in preferred forms and by way of exampleonly, and obviously many variations and modifications may be madetherein without departing from the spirit of the invention. Theinvention, therefore, is not to be limited to any specified form orembodiment except insofar as such limitations are set forth in theclaims.

I claim: a

1. A collapsible and erectable protective carton made from a singleblank comprising a plurality of panels connected seriatim by parallelscore lines forming the outer walls of the carton, and a plurality ofpanels connected seriatim by score lines forming the walls of aninterior article-receiving cell, at least one of the panels of theinterior cell being angularly disposed with respect to the outer wallsof the carton to form an interior cell which is wider at one end than atthe other, the wider end of the interior cell occupying the greaterportion of the area of the loading end of the carton.

2. A collapsible and erectable protective carton set forth in claim 1,including a plurality of spaced-apart slits in the angularly disposedpanel in the vicinity of the loading end.

3. A collapsible and erectable protective carton comprising fourrectangular outer walls connected by score lines and a plurality ofwalls forming an inner articlereceiving cell of rectangularcross-section, at least one wall of said inner cell being angularlydisposed with respect to the outer walls to form a wide loading end anda narrow opposite end, forming the greater portion of the area of theloading end of the carton the walls forming the inner cell beingconnected one to another by score lines, one such score line connectingone of the walls forming the inner cell to one of the walls forming theouter carton, said score line being the only attachment between any ofthe walls forming the interior cell with any of the walls forming theouter carton, the arrangement permitting the end of the inner cellopposite the loading end to expand by the force exerted by the articleagainst the angularly disposed Wall of the inner cell.

4. A protective carton as set forth in claim 3, including at least oneslit formed in the angularly disposed wall to support and grip a part ofthe article accommodated therein.

5. A protective carton as set forth in claim 3, including a plurality ofV-shaped slits formed in the angularly disposed wall and spaced apartnear the loading end of the inner cell, an edge of each of the slitsforming a seat for a part of the article to be accommodated within thecarton, the portion of the wall immediately above the seat forming aflap which engages and grips the article accommodated within the carton.

6. A collapsible and erecta-ble protective carton made from a singleblank comprising five parallel score lines formed in one end of theblank to define five panels, said five panels forming a four-sidedcarton in which two of the panels are affixed in overlappingrelationship, and three additional score lines formed in the other endof said blank to define four panels, said four panels forming four.walls of an inner cell, two of the panels forming walls of the innercell being defined between angularly disposed score lines, and a panelintermediate the said two panels being defined by parallel score lines,the two panels defined by the angularly disposed score lines formingopposite walls of the inner cell and both lying in planes substantiallyperpendicular to the intermediate panel, causing the intermediate panelto lie in a plane angularly disposed with respect to the walls formingthe outer carton.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS1,226,531 Kebbell May 15, 1917 1,343,002 Markert June 8, 1920 2,611,529Cur-rivan Sept. 23, 1952 2,732,122 Bolding Ian. 24, 1956 2,893,623 BatesJuly 7, 1959 FOREIGN PATENTS 559,432 Canada June 24, 1958

